Old 11-28-10, 07:34 AM
  #14  
atbman
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Research by Dr. Mayer Hilman (UK) into cyclist head injury fatalities (can't find the source, unfortuantely) showed that about 92% of those who died from brain injury would have died anyway from other, less immediately threatening injuries. He estimated that only about 6 UK riders would have their lives saved p.a.

If you are hit by a motor vehicle, especially coming from the opposite direction, with a collision speed in excess of 30mph, the standard helmet will protect you somewhat, from about 12/14mph of the impact. However, you may:
1. flip up over the hood, hit the windscreen with your head and break your neck (death/paralysis)
2. flip right over the car (possibly ditto) and be run over by following vehicle
3. splat into the windscreen of a 40 ton truck (a 30mph to stop or even 30 mph one way to 30 mph in the opposite direction) in which case the force of the impact may sever a major blood vessel (aorta, anyone), push your ribcage thro' your lungs/heart/blood vessels/cause massive internal haemorrhaging, etc)
4. go over the hood of the car/pickup and land rolling on the other side with only relatively minor injuries
5. the aerodynamic rear of a fancier helmet may catch the ground/vehicle and spin your head round causing spinal/brain shaking injuries
6. land on your face pushing your nose up into your frontal cortex
7. etc., etc.

I always wear a helmet to save me from minor damage but prefer to avoid putting the helmet to the test by avoiding being hit.

The carefully researched British Medical Assoication study, Cyclng & Health, showed that the benefits of cycling as little as 4 miles daily were about 20 times more likely to extend your life span by keeping you healthy than you were to die in a traffic collision.

By the way, jumping off the ridgeline of a 2 storey house is the equivalent of a 30 to zero crash. Fancy relying on a helmet to keep you alive if you go off head first?
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